


Long Time Coming

by captainamergirl



Series: Faith, Hope, Miracles [5]
Category: General Hospital
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-28
Updated: 2018-06-28
Packaged: 2019-05-28 08:07:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15044441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/captainamergirl/pseuds/captainamergirl
Summary: Robin returns home to Patrick and Emma.





	1. Chapter 1

**** Long Time Coming  
Part 1/3   
  
Patrick had the day off from work. Emma was on a play date with the Webber boys. Sabrina had gone out for the afternoon, apparently shopping for household items. The house was eerily quiet and the silence was deafening.   
  
He shot to his feet when he couldn’t sit still anymore. He began to pace furiously. The wedding was a mere two weeks away. He was going to marry a woman who wasn’t Robin. It felt completely …   
  
He shook his head. It would be fine. He’d go through with it. They’d be alright. Most of all, Emma would be happy and Patrick lived for Emma now, lived to see her smile and laugh as she hadn’t for months and months after Robin’s death.   
  
Patrick still felt incredibly restless, like a tiger circling a very tiny cage. He finally grabbed his keys off the table in the entryway and hurried to the door. He’d go for a drive. A long,  _long_ drive. That should smooth some of these frayed nerves of his. He felt instinctively that change was in the air, but he didn’t know why and change for him – well, it didn’t always mean good things.   
  
Patrick dashed for the door and ripped it open. He started out when he collided with a very small … body. Yes, it was a body and a familiar one; one he’d know anywhere. He looked down from his height of 6’5 and standing there, tears in her beautiful cinnamon eyes, was Robin.  _His_ Robin.   
  
“Rob –“ He shook his head. “No, no, you’re not real. I had visions of you after you died. You’re just-“ He broke off. He didn’t care if she was a delusion of his mind; he just had to hold her.   
  
He reached out for her and closed his arms around her petite frame. Immediately tears were rolling down his face. He cupped her cheeks in his hands. “God, you feel so real.”   
  
“I am real, Patrick; I promise you that,” Robin said and her tears intermingled with his as he leaned in and kissed her. He had to; it was the only way to know for sure he wasn’t having a dream. But if this was a dream, he prayed he would never wake up.   
  
His lips moved against hers and her warm, minty breath tickled his cheek. When they pulled apart, he stared at her through blurry eyes. “How?” It was one question, but it communicated so much.   
  
“It’s a long story… Jerry Jacks… Dr. Liesl Obrecht … They faked my death,” Robin said with a shaky breath, sounding breathless as she remembered her harrowing past year in captivity. “All I wanted to do was come home to you and Emma. It was literally all I lived for.”   
  
“Damn them to hell!” Patrick reached out and gingerly swept aside an errant lock of her chestnut-brown hair. “I’m so sorry,” Patrick murmured.   
  
“There’s nothing to be sorry for,” Robin said. “You thought I was gone forever.”   
  
“But I should have known. I felt it, you know, but at the same time I was scared to believe, to hope - to set myself up for more disappointment. I should have known…”   
  
“I understand, Patrick,” Robin said as he her hand went up to wipe away his tears one by one. His arms remained locked around her. If he let go for a second, she would be gone. That was his deepest fear. “I don’t blame you at all. I swear.”   
  
“I blame myself enough for the both of us,” Patrick said. He reached down and threaded his fingers through her tiny ones. “I missed you. Every damn day…”   
  
“I know. I felt the same.”   
  
“Don’t let this be a dream,” Patrick whispered. “And if it is, I pray no one wakes me up.”   
  
“Patrick, look at me. Look me in the eyes again and see me the way only you ever could,” Robin gently commanded him. “Look at me and see the truth. I’m here and I’m never leaving you and Emma – never again.”   
  
Patrick held her tightly as he looked deep into her eyes, his gaze unwavering. “It is you. I feel like I should pinch myself, but I know it’s true. It’s all I’ve been wishing for.”   
  
“Me too,” Robin agreed. She reached up and moved her hands through his hair, grazing the back of his neck with her fingertips. He shuddered with desire. He wanted to hold her, touch every inch of her, memorize her, sink deep inside of her …Never let go.   
  
But then his eyes fell on a picture of Sabrina and Emma sitting on the mantle. He had to tell Robin the truth.   
  
“Come inside,” he whispered to her. He tugged her over the threshold and moved them towards the sofa. It felt almost wrong to have her sit there. Just the night before, he had snuggled with Sabrina there. But he needed Robin to know everything.   
  
“Patrick, what’s wrong?” Robin asked. She followed his eyes to the mantle. “Is that – is that someone special to you?” She asked. “You and Emma?” Her voice wavered.   
  
“She’s important to me because she kept me from going completely under … Kept me sort of sane… Was a great friend and mentor to Emma when you couldn’t be here…” Patrick squeezed Robin’s hand and gently pressed a kiss to the inside of her wrist. “Robin, I’m supposed to marry her in two weeks.”   
  
Robin’s eyes went wide and Patrick saw the pain in them. She tried to hide it but he knew her so well. “Okay, well, I will step aside then,” she said, ever the noble one. “In fact, maybe no one needs to know that I’m back at all.”   
  
“No! Dammit. Don’t you dare leave us again – don’t you leave me,” he said hoarsely. “She helped me, Robin, she sustained me, yes, pulled me a long when I felt I couldn’t move because the pain was eating me up inside… But she was never you, Robin; no one ever will be.”   
  
“Patrick, if you love her-“   
  
“I do, but if I’m honest with myself, I’m not  _in_ love with her. I never have been. She’s a friend; she’s a confidant. Things got confused and messed up. My head fucked with my heart… But no one could ever replace you. Ever. There will never be another Robin Scorpio-Drake. I’m just so sorry that I betrayed you. That I tried to move on rather than look for you. I don’t expect you to forgive me –“   
  
“Patrick, look at me again. I’m not angry. I swear I am not. You needed to do what you needed to do to hold on and I will never begrudge you that. In a way I should thank this woman for not letting you completely self-destruct.”   
  
Patrick kissed her hand. “I missed you. Every damn day… Waking up, even when she was next to me … it didn’t chase away the memory of you. The pain of thinking I lost you forever… I want you, Robin, in every way. I have since that first moment we met and your beautiful eyes were full of indignation because of what you caught me doing … You broke down all my defenses and you made me want to be a better man. If I failed you…Hell, I know I failed you. So many times…”   
  
A new tear trickled down Robin’s cheek. “I never would hold any of that against you, I swear. I would never punish you for anything.”   
  
“That’s what makes you the only woman in my heart.” Patrick leaned over and pressed his forehead to hers. His lips were a hairsbreadth from hers and they both felt the strong pull of passion and love that had always existed between them. “I want to kiss you again, Robin. I want to hold you so tight and make love to you all day.”   
  
“This woman,” Robin said. “We should tell her. If you really want me –“   
  
“I always did. Please believe that.”   
  
Robin looked deeply into his eyes. “I believe it. I believe you. Scratch that, I believe in you.”   
  
“I’ve dreamt every night of making love to you, Robin. I know what I want – you - but I know you. You’ll want to tell Sabrina the truth first.”   
  
“We should tell her first,” Robin admitted. “But would you say I was absolutely horrible if – if I didn’t want to wait a second longer either?”   
  
“I could never think you were horrible,” Patrick said. “Let me make love to you, let me hold you forever.”   
  
“Of course,” Robin said. Patrick smiled through his tears. He gently lifted her off the sofa. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he carried her to their old room. Their lips were all over each other the moment he settled her on the mattress. Her legs locked around his lean waist as he leaned down and lifted her shirt from her outstretched arms. He smiled as her pert, small breasts popped into view. He deftly reached around her and snapped the clasp on her bra. The material fell away and her mounds tumbled into his waiting hands. She moaned as he immediately leaned down to capture a puckered nipple in his mouth, rolling his tongue around the purpling bud. Her hands raked through his hair as she arched off the bed to press more of herself into his mouth.   
  
“Patrick,” she cried as he ministered lovingly and thoroughly to each supple breast. His eyes never left hers as he watched her face fill with heat and pleasure.   
  
He worshipped her breasts for a long time, so long actually that they must have been aching when he stopped. His fingers came to the button on her jeans. She writhed in anticipation as he slowly peeled the denim down her sexy legs. Her black panties were already damp with her desire as he reached down to touch her through them. He wanted to give her the ultimate pleasure but he wanted to make it last. They had been apart for so long and he wanted to make every minute count.   
  
Robin lifted off the bed as Patrick removed the rest of her clothes. His fingers grazed her slit and she bucked on the bed. He gently pressed her down on the mattress and sluiced his fingers into her hot channel. She moaned as he began to slowly thrust his fingers in and out of her.   
  
“Patricckkkk…”   
  
He kept up his thrusts until her legs began to tremor – her whole body did, in fact. He kept his fingers buried inside her as she came with a loud yelp. He smiled and leaned over and kissed her, his tongue sliding between her waiting lips. She gripped him by the shoulders as they kissed passionately, slowly, their mouths hungry for each other, but they were also taking their time, determined not to rush it.   
  
“Your clothes need to come off now,” Robin said. “I've missed looking at you.”   
  
“Right back at you,” he said with a cheeky grin. “You have no idea how much. You’re even more beautiful than I remembered you.”   
  
Robin smiled, her bottom lip trembling a bit. “Thank you, Patrick. For everything. For loving me better than anyone ever has.”   
  
“You’ve done the same for me, baby,” Patrick said.   
  
She began to help him out of his clothes and soon he was as bare as she was. Only one barrier remained between them. She lightly grasped him by his manhood and massaged him. He was already hard but only became more so. “You’re killing me here,” he murmured. “I’m not going to last very long if you keep that up.”   
  
Robin grinned and kept rubbing him, running her fingers under the base of his shaft. She then let go long enough to reach for the dresser beside the bed. She eased the drawer open and found what she was looking for. Her eyes lit up with excitement as she unwrapped the condom and unrolled it. She eased it over his engorged member, sheathing him, and he filled it up to damn near bursting.   
  
He lightly rolled atop her again and he kissed her neck, nibbling on the taut flesh there. He drove inside of her. It took no time at all for them to find their rhythm – it was just like before, but even better. She began to rock against his body as he thrust in and out of her. She took him inside of her, deeper and deeper still. Her hands grazed his balls as he continued to make love to her. She squeezed around him like a silken vice and they cried out in mutual passion as they hit their peak. They sailed down from the absolute heights of pleasure together and he collapsed against her breasts, still buried inside of her.   
  
They were breathing hard as they lay there in potent silence for the longest time. Finally Patrick lifted his head and stared into her eyes. A fresh tear worked down his cheek. “I love you, Robin. I swear to God… I always will. You’re mine forever.”   
  
Robin nodded. “You’re mine forever,” she echoed him. She kissed his lips gently and before long the kiss was growing in renewed intensity.   
  
They were making love again in no time. 


	2. Chapter 2

** Long Time Coming  
Part 2/3 **   
  
An hour later, Robin and Patrick were finally spent. They lay spooned to each other as Robin listened to his heart beating against her ear. It felt beyond wonderful to hold him again and be held by him. This was what she had longed for; for what seemed like forever.   
  
“Robin, do you want to talk about it?” Patrick asked, nuzzling her neck with his lips.   
  
Robin shivered. “About…”   
  
“You said Obrecht and Jerry Jacks held you captive all that time… What did they do to you? What did they want from you?”   
  
Robin shivered again but it was a different kind of shiver now – one born of pain as the memories assaulted her; the memories of being tied down and shocked within an inch of her life; of not being able to escape; alone, and left to hear nothing but Obrecht’s endless taunting…   
  
A tear slipped down her cheek and she went to wipe it away but Patrick’s warm fingers were already doing so. She looked up at him gratefully. “Jerry wanted me to find a cure for his potentially fatal illness while Obrecht just wanted to torture my mom for Faison loving Mom and not her.”   
  
Patrick shook his head. “Those evils sonuvabitches,” he said. “Give me one reason I shouldn’t get right up from this bed, hunt them down, and kill them with my bare hands.”   
  
“I’ll give you two reasons – Emma and me. I just got you back and don’t want to lose you to a long prison term or god forbid, a needle in your arm… And Emma, she needs her Daddy. She needs you so much. They’re not worth the trouble. Besides, the first rule of medicine is-“   
  
Patrick nodded. “Do no harm. Yes, I know but, Robin, they hurt you. They hurt all of us, everyone who loved you. How can I just let that go?”   
  
“You have to. Besides, Uncle Mac will go after them with both barrels, as will my mom and dad. They’ll both pay for this somehow.”   
  
“How did you get away?”   
  
“I finally found the cure for Jerry’s condition and he let me go when Obrecht was away.”   
  
“Jerry Jacks let you go? It doesn’t seem as simple as that.”   
  
“Yeah, I know. The second I got out of their lab of horrors, I ran for the hills and I didn’t stop looking over my shoulder till I got here.” Her eyes watered anew. “You’re my home, Patrick. I didn’t feel safe until I was back here – in your arms.”   
  
Patrick nodded. “Well, I never felt whole without you, never.”   
  
Robin smiled through her tears. She lightly caressed his chest. “I missed you every moment I was gone but I’m here and I promise that I’m staying forever. Nothing and I mean nothing will ever tear me away from you and Emma again.”   
  
“Good, because I wouldn’t survive losing you a second time,” Patrick said. “I couldn’t. You seem to think I’m a strong man but without you I am nothing but a hollow shell.”   
  
“Don’t say that.”   
  
“It’s true,” Patrick insisted. He then kissed her gently on the lips. “Emma’s going to be so thrilled to see you.”   
  
“I hope she doesn’t freak out – seeing her supposedly dead mom walk into the room after all this time.”   
  
“She won’t. She’ll be as thrilled as I am. You know, she prays every night that somehow, someway, you’ll come home to us and now you have. All of our prayers have been answered.”   
  
Robin nodded and snuggled tighter into his embrace. “I know mine have.” A peaceful silence settled over the bedroom for a long moment as they each held each other tightly and considered how lucky they were to have a second chance at forever.   
  
“Where’s Emma? I can’t wait to see her,” Robin finally piped up.   
  
“She’s with Elizabeth and her boys, having a play date. She should be home –“ he looked at the clock – “really soon.”   
  
“How soon?” Robin asked, looking up at him.   
  
“Twenty minutes.”   
  
“Twenty minutes is more than enough time,” Robin said with a smile.   
  
“For what, my dear?”   
  
“A shower,” Robin said. “A hot, steamy shower. We do need to get clean.”   
  
Patrick waggled his eyebrows. “I do like the way you think.”   
  
Robin grabbed his hand. “Come on, dirty boy,” she teased and they grabbed a handful of condoms before heading for the shower for another round of marathon sex.   
  
XoXoXo   
  
“Hmm, that was nice,” Robin said a bit later as she emerged from the bathroom with Patrick.   
  
“Just nice?” Patrick said. “I must be losing my touch.”   
  
“Okay more than nice,” Robin said, thinking of the way he had pressed her against the shower door and took her swiftly as her legs knotted around his lean waist. “Amazing.”   
  
“Exquisite,” Patrick said with a twinkle in his eyes.   
  
Robin looked around at the room. “It just occurred to me that I don’t have anything clean to wear.” She sighed softly. It was finally hitting her that she had been gone for such a long time; that Patrick had moved on – or tried. He’d probably donated all of her things to Goodwill…   
  
“Actually I have boxes and boxes of your stuff in the hall closet,” Patrick said. “I couldn’t get rid of them, even if I couldn’t look at them. I kept telling myself I had to, but in the end, I couldn’t let go of you. And I’m glad I didn’t.”   
  
Robin smiled. “Me too.” She slumped on the bed in her towel for a moment. “I can’t wait to see Emma.”   
  
“Maybe we should get dressed then,” Patrick said. “Seeing you prancing around naked will give her a shock and give me another hard-on.”   
  
“Patrick,” Robin said with a little blush.   
  
“I’ll get the boxes,” Patrick said and walked out of the room, towel draped low on his lean hips. Robin smiled. She had missed her guy; boy, had she ever. Being home felt like a dream that she would never wanted to awaken from.   
  
Patrick returned in a moment with two large boxes. “That’s just the start,” he said.   
  
“Really? I never realized I had so much stuff,” Robin said. She reached for the top box and set it on the bed. She pried off the lid and right away her breath caught in her throat.   
  
“What is it?” Patrick asked, noting the expression on her face.   
  
Robin held up a white, frilly gown. “My wedding dress,” she whispered. “It's been so long since I’ve seen it.”   
  
“That was probably the very hardest item to pack away,” Patrick admitted. He showed her his ring. “But I never took this off – I couldn’t. I planned to on my wedding day to Sabrina but … It never felt right. I needed that bond between us to stay with me forever.”   
  
Robin smiled. “I wish I had mine,” she said.   
  
"Fortunately, I do."   
  
“You do?”   
  
“It’s what we used to identify you in the fire.”   
  
“Oh god,” Robin said. She looked at her white ring finger where the band should have been. “Put it on me?”   
  
“Try to stop me,” Patrick said. He moved over to the dresser and opened the top drawer. He pulled out a little blue velvet bag and inside it, was none other than Robin’s ring.   
  
She smiled as he walked over to her and reached for her hand. “Robin Scorpio, stay with me forever?” He asked.   
  
She nodded. “Yes, of course!” She cried and smiled through her tears as Patrick slid the ring onto her hand, cementing their happiness.   
  
XoXoXo   
  
A few minutes later, Patrick and Robin were all dressed and sitting in the living room together. Robin was tapping her foot anxiously. “I wish I could have time to plan something special for her – like a party or –“   
  
Patrick shook his head. “You coming home, that’s the most special thing ever and Emma will love seeing you again.”   
  
“I’ve missed her so much,” Robin said. “I can’t wait to see her. Are you sure she didn’t forget me?”   
  
“I’m sure,” Patrick said. “Remember what I said about her nightly prayers?”   
  
“Yes.”   
  
“Well, I didn’t make that up.”   
  
Just then, they heard the rumbling of an engine in the driveway. Robin felt her heart hammer almost painfully in her chest. It had been well over a year since she had last seen or held her daughter. This moment was everything.   
  
In the next moment, the door was being thrown open and Emma was standing there. She was smiling, holding a balloon, and then she was rendered speechless as tears flooded her eyes.   
  
“Hey, sweetheart,” Robin greeted her.   
  
“Mommy?” Emma asked. Robin nodded.  _“Mommy!”_ Emma cried and immediately chucked aside her balloon and ran for Robin. She hopped onto her mother’s lap and hugged her tightly as her tears wet Robin’s neck. Robin was as emotional as Emma as they hugged for the longest time.   
  
Emma’s tiny little body shook with the force of her sobs. “Mommy,” she whispered. “Are you really home - for good?”   
  
Robin nodded as she pulled back a bit to cup Emma’s chin in her hands. She looked Emma right in the eyes – eyes that looked so much like her own. “Emma, I swear, I’m never leaving you again. You or your daddy.”   
  
Patrick watched the happy reunion and snuggled his two favorite girls in his arms. Emma looked at her two parents and then Robin specifically. “Daddy told me – everyone told me – you went to heaven. How can you be here if you went to heaven? Are you an angel?”   
  
“No,” Robin said. She wasn’t sure how much to tell her young and impressionable daughter. “I never went to heaven. Some very bad people made it seem like I did but I’ve been alive all this time, just waiting for to come home to you guys.” She hugged Emma to her chest. “I missed you, baby, every day I was gone. I counted the minutes and seconds until we could see each other again. I’m sorry I couldn’t let you know somehow that I was alive.”   
  
“But you did. You called me, remember?” Emma said.   
  
“I remember,” Robin said. She looked at Patrick who looked decidedly shell-shocked.   
  
“Emma was right. It was you,” Patrick said. “I thought it was a crank call or just Emma’s wishful thinking… I’m so sorry, Robin. I could have brought you home a lot sooner; I was just scared as heck to believe in a miracle and be disappointed again. I should have known… God, I should have known. I felt you weren’t gone, I was just –“   
  
“It’s okay, Patrick,” Robin said. “All of this must be so surreal for you two. If I hadn’t witnessed it myself, I wouldn’t have believed it either.”   
  
“Still, I’m sorry. More sorry than I can ever say.”   
  
“Don’t be sad, Daddy,” Emma said. “Mommy’s home and that’s the best thing ever!”   
  
Robin looked at her husband. “Emma’s right. I’m home and I’m not going anywhere - that’s what matters.”   
  
Patrick nodded and rested his head atop hers as they looked at Emma, tears still wetting her face. “You promise not to leave ever again?” Emma asked.   
  
“I pinky promise,” Robin said. “Nothing could ever tear me away from you again.”   
  
And she meant it.   
  
The little family held each other tightly for a long time. At some point, a shadow darkened the window but they didn’t even notice.   
  
It was Sabrina. She had seen the family reunion first hand. She could have made a scene – after all her heart was breaking – but the truth was that in that moment she knew the truth: She’d never truly had Patrick at all. His heart belonged to Robin.   
  
There was nothing to fight for. As hard as it was to accept, she didn’t have a true claim to Patrick or Emma. She had to let go.   
  
She sighed and then turned and hurried down the walk - like she had never been there at all.   
  
XoXoXo   
  
“Mama, want to have a tea party with me?” Emma asked sometime later. She hadn’t moved far from Robin all day. At dinner, they had sat close together; Emma seemingly afraid if she let Robin out of her sight for a second, she would slip away again.   
  
Robin looked at the clock on the mantle. It read 8:45 PM. She smiled at Emma as she pulled her daughter onto her lap. “Emma, you know it’s past your bedtime right?”   
  
“Oh, Mommy, I know, but can’t I just stay up a little longer?” Emma asked. “We should celebrate you being home.”   
  
Robin looked at Patrick who was leaning in the doorway watching them with a smile on his so-handsome face. “What do you think, Daddy?”   
  
“I think another twenty or so minutes couldn’t hurt.”   
  
Robin nodded. “I think I agree.”   
  
“Yay!” Emma said, standing to dance around the room in excitement. “Daddy, I’ll make the tea while you and Mommy get dressed.”   
  
“Dressed in what?” Patrick asked.   
  
“Something fancy,” Emma said. “You can’t come to an important tea party dressed in your PJ’s.” She giggled. “Actually I will help Mommy pick out some outfits for you guys while you get the tea ready, Daddy.”   
  
“Okay, sounds like a plan – an elaborate plan, but a cool plan,” Patrick agreed. He smiled at his girls and went into the kitchen to fill up Emma’s play tea set with water.   
  
Emma grabbed Robin’s hand and hurried them to the bedroom. Emma flipped on the light and was chatting excitedly about their plans when she spotted Robin’s wedding dress laying out on the bed. “Mommy!” she cried out in excitement as she moved over to it. “It’s a wedding dress!” She looked positively enchanted by the sight of it.   
  
“Is that yours?” Emma asked, moving to touch the soft fabric.   
  
“Actually, it is,” Robin replied. “I married your Daddy in that dress.”   
  
Emma grinned. “It’s so pretty. I bet you looked so beautiful in it.”   
  
“I hope so,” Robin said with a matching grin. “Anyway, about those fancy clothes…?”   
  
“Well, this is the fanciest one in the house,” Emma said. “Will you wear it, Mommy?”   
  
“I don’t know…”   
  
“But you have to!” Emma said.   
  
“It’s that important to you huh?”   
  
“Yes. And Daddy will wear his best suit and then you two can get married again. We’ll have tea and Little Debbie’s for your ‘ception.”   
  
“Reception?” Robin said. She smiled. “And just who will marry us?”   
  
“I will!” Emma said. “This will be fun, right?”   
  
“Yes.”   
  
“And then no one can ever take you away from us again.”   
  
“They can’t,” Robin agreed. She actually loved the idea of reaffirming her vows to Patrick with only their sweet, imaginative daughter to witness it. It would be unconventional but they were a wonderfully unconventional family.   
  
Patrick walked into the room. “The tea’s ready and piping hot. Are we having a party or what?”   
  
“Change of plans, Daddy,” Emma said, tugging on his hand. “The tea has to wait until the ‘ception.”   
  
“Huh?”   
  
“She means reception,” Robin said. “She wants us to get married again and she wants to officiate the ceremony.”   
  
Patrick’s eye went wide in surprise for a moment and then he nodded. “I love that idea.” He tickled Emma and she shrieked with laughter.   
  
“Daddy!” She squealed.   
  
He stopped tickling her. “Sorry, I couldn’t resist.” He looked at Emma and then Robin. “We’d better get dressed for this wedding. But first, I have to propose to your Mom.”   
  
Emma giggled with glee while Robin held her breath. It might have seemed silly to anyone else, but it made sense to her. Patrick slipped to one knee in front of her and reached for her hand. “Robin, I love you so much. Every day I love you more. I honestly mean that. Even when I thought I would never see you again, my heart longed for you; ached for you; cried for you. We’ve been through so much. I know I’ve fallen down on my duties as a husband too many times, but I promise if you give me another chance, I will make things right; I will be the man you need and deserve … Robin Scorpio, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife –  _again?”_   
  
“I will, Patrick,” Robin said with a wide smile. Patrick jumped to his feet and held her tightly before giving her a long, slow kiss.   
  
Robin grinned at him. “Save something for the wedding night,” she teased. Then with a watery smile, she turned to look at Emma. “Should we get started?”   
  
“Yes!” Emma said enthusiastically. “You two get dressed and meet me in the living room – or chapel, actually – in five minutes. Oh and Daddy, you have to change in the bathroom cause you can’t seem Mommy before the wedding. Or it's bad luck.”   
  
“Good point,” Patrick said. “We’ve all had enough bad luck to last a lifetime.”   
  
“What he said,” Robin murmured.   
  
They then went their separate ways to get ready for the impromptu ceremony. When they all met up again, Emma was standing on the coffee table with a book of children’s rhymes in her hand – which apparently passed for the Bible around there. Patrick stood directly in front of her. They turned around as Robin entered the room. Her long chestnut-brown hair hung in loose waves down her back and her bare, bronzed shoulders were exposed. Her cinnamon eyes caught the light. Patrick looked speechless in appreciation.   
  
“You look beautiful, Robin,” he said as she came to a stop in front of him.   
  
“Thank you. You clean up nicely yourself.”   
  
Emma smiled at her parents, before reaching out to join their hands. Patrick ran his thumbs over Robin’s bare knuckles and she tensed with desire. The wedding night would certainly be explosive, no doubt about that.   
  
Emma cleared her throat and began. “Dear parents, we are gathered here today…” 


	3. Chapter 3

**Long Time Coming  
3/3**   
  
“Dear parents, we are gathered here today in the sight of God to unite you in holy matrimony. If anyone has just cause why these two should not-“   
  
“Stop,” Patrick and Robin said in unison and then started laughing.   
  
“What’s so funny?” Emma asked.   
  
“We just … Well, let’s not say that part, okay?” Patrick said. “In fact, perhaps we should skip to the best part – the kiss.”   
  
“The vows,” Robin said pointedly with a smirk.   
  
“Then the kiss…”   
  
“Then the kiss,” Robin said. She was smiling. “Should I go first, Emma?”   
  
“Sure,” Emma agreed.   
  
Robin’s eyes misted with tears as she squeezed Patrick’s hands as tightly as she dared. This was the most surreal moment of her life and she could never have asked for more.   
  
“I feel like we’ve been here before,” Robin said. “Alright we have been, but now that I know what it’s like to be apart from you, I appreciate this moment of togetherness so much more. I am savoring it; memorizing it actually, so I’ll have it always right here.” She touched her heart, pausing for a moment as she felt her throat tighten and her eyes mist.    
  
“We made a lot of promises at our first wedding, didn’t we?” She continued. “We have kept the most important promise, Patrick – to love each other always. Every day, every second, my love for you grows. When we were apart, all I could think about was coming home to you and to our daughter. It was your love that kept me going, even in the worst moments. I believed that somehow, someway, we would get our happily ever after. And here we are, standing together again – here I am, looking into those gorgeous eyes of yours – and I see ‘forever’. As happy as I am right now, I know I will be even happier as I get to wake up in your arms every morning and we grow old together, watching our beautiful daughter really come into her own. That’s all I want in my life – to be right beside you and Emma. Look at how far we’ve come, Patrick, just look. We started out pretty much despising each other to having it all – a home, a beautiful child and more love than we almost know what to do with.... I won’t let go, Patrick, I never will.”   
  
Robin saw tears in Patrick’s eyes as he listened to her words. Finally, she whispered, “It’s your turn.”   
  
Patrick gave her a watery smile. “How am I supposed to follow that? You were so eloquent – as you always do, you spoke to my heart and my soul. I feel your love for me so strongly. Maybe I don’t deserve that love – the faith and affection you have for me - but I do appreciate it so much – I live for it. Robin, every day that you were gone, I was empty, I was a shell of bleakness and nothingness and having you back, means the world to me. You know that I tried to move forward but I know for sure that the only way I can do that is if you’re at my side, moving forward with me. I want to grow really old with you, Robin. I want forever and ever with you. I will thank God every day for the gift of having you back in my life, in my arms. There could never truly be anyone else for me. You’re my Robin; and I thank god, you chose me to love of all people. I haven’t made it easy, I know that, but I don’t ever want to do without it. I love you and I swear; I won’t let go either. You’re mine and I’m yours, and that is just how it’s meant to be.”   
  
Robin and Patrick both had tears working down their faces as they finished their vows. Even Emma, smiling brightly, looked a bit misty-eyed.   
  
“Alright, now it’s time for the rings,” Emma said. “But since you’re already wearing them…”   
  
“We can kiss?” Patrick said with a laugh.   
  
“Not yet!” Emma said. “I have to finish. You both have to say ‘I give you my hand, my heart, and my love, from this day forward for as long as we both shall –‘ Wait, don’t say that part. Just say forever. That this will last forever, like we all want it to.”   
  
“Good idea,” Robin said. “’Patrick, I give you my hand, my heart, and my love forever.”   
  
“Robin, I give you my hand, my heart, and my love forever.”   
  
Now there truly wasn’t a dry eye in the house. Even Emma was crying a bit, humbled by the power and emotion behind Robin and Patrick’s words.   
  
Emma smiled. “What God has brought together, let no one ever put - wait, how do you say it?”   
  
“Asunder,” Patrick offered.   
  
“Yes, that,” Emma said with a smile. “Now, Mommy and Daddy, I pronounce you husband and wife. Daddy, kiss Mommy!”   
  
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Patrick murmured and he leaned forward, tugging Robin into his arms. She smiled into his soft kiss. His lips tasted salty with his tears. It was a magical moment, the most magical moment she’d ever experienced.   
  
They finally pulled apart for the sake of propriety and watched as Emma ran to the entertainment center. “What are you up to, Emma Drake?” Robin asked with a smirk.   
  
Emma rifled through the CDs in the case and finally extracted one. “Your marriage isn't official until you have your first dance as husband and wife.”   
  
Robin and Patrick smiled at each other. “You heard her,” Patrick said as he held out his hand to Robin. He twirled her around so she was tucked up against his body.   
  
J.J. Farris soulfully crooned “Cloud 9” as Robin and Patrick swayed slowly in time. Patrick’s chin rested atop the crown of her head. They danced all the way through “Cloud 9” and then Emma put on a few more  _almost_ -as-romantic songs.   
  
Robin kissed Patrick - a kiss with a promise full of imminent passion – and then they slowly disentangled and moved to Emma. “I think it’s way past someone’s bed time,” Patrick said.   
  
Emma sat on the sofa, about to put in a new disc into the player but Robin stilled her hand. “We appreciate all of this so much, sweetheart, but it is time for you to get to bed.”   
  
“But I’m not tired,” Emma protested weakly. Patrick and Robin smiled as she tried to stifle a yawn.   
  
“Okay, maybe I’m a little tired,” Emma admitted. “Would you tuck me in, Mommy?”   
  
“I would love nothing better,” Robin said and picked up Emma, resting her on her hip. “You’re getting so big,” she marveled. Emma tucked her face into the crook of Robin’s shoulder and Robin looked at Patrick.   
  
“I’ll see you in five,” she mouthed to him. His eyes twinkled and he nodded eagerly.   
  
Robin carried Emma down the hall to her room and gently set her down on the bed, drawing back the pink princess covers and then tucking them around her little girl’s chin. Emma’s eyes slid shut and she was asleep in no time. She didn’t have to ask her mom if she would be there in the morning because they all knew instinctively that she would be. The Scorpio-Drake family was at the hour of their greatest happiness.   
  
XoXoXo   
  
Patrick found an unopened bottle of bubbly in the cupboard and he poured two champagne glasses full. He then hurried to the bedroom and set them down on the bedside table. He drew back the covers to reveal the satiny-smooth black sheets. He then yanked off his jacket, dress shirt and tie as he walked around the room, lighting the pillar candles that sat on the dresser. There were four of them and the scent of jasmine drifted about the room.   
  
He waited with anticipation and then was rewarded by the turning of the doorknob. Robin stood there in her wedding dress and his breath caught in his throat for a moment. “You’re so beautiful,” he said almost reverently.   
  
She smiled at him and started into the room but he quickly stopped her. Instead he lightly nudged them into the hallway. She laughed. “What are you-“ She stopped when he suddenly lifted her up and tucked her to his chest. She stared into his eyes as he carried her over the threshold, into their bedroom. He lightly kicked the door closed with his foot.   
  
He still held her close as he kissed her until they were both breathless. She smiled into his mouth. “The whole threshold routine, huh?” She said.   
  
“Do you approve, Mrs. Scorpio-Drake?”   
  
“I approve, Mr. Drake. It’s very romantic. You are very romantic.” She looked around the room as he gently set her on the bed. “It’s perfect, Patrick, just perfect for our new beginning. And it is a new beginning, a new start for us. We promised not to let go and we meant it, didn't we?”   
  
“Yes, definitely,” Patrick said. He picked up the champagne glasses and brought one to her as he sat beside her on the plush mattress. He held up his glass. "To you, Robin, to you. I am so thrilled that you’re my wife – again.”   
  
“I love the sound of that,” Robin said. They clinked their glasses together as they stared at each other. The look in Robin’s eyes was driving Patrick wild and he couldn’t resist leaning in for a kiss after she had taken a sip of her champagne. He nibbled on her bottom lip and she parted her lips to allow his tongue to sweep inside her warm, waiting mouth. They kissed for a long time, still holding their drinks, and then Patrick took their glasses and set them aside.   
  
“Make love to me, Mr. Drake,” Robin whispered in a low, husky voice. He grinned at her. This was the moment he had been waiting for.   
  
Patrick reached out, smoothing back a lock of her long, chestnut-brown hair. He cupped her beautiful face in his hands and gave her another kiss. He then pulled her onto his lap and slowly kissed her bare shoulders and the tops of her pert breasts. He felt her respond with a shiver and warm goose bumps peppered her soft skin.   
  
“Mmmm,” she murmured as he sucked on her neck in a spot that he well-remembered always made her mewl. She did just that and he smiled against her collarbone.   
  
He swept back her long hair and reached for the zipper on her dress. He slowly tugged it down, kissing every inch of her taut, heated skin as he peeled the dress down to her feet. She now sat atop him in a tiny little white bra and matching panties. He growled and she smiled as he expertly unclasped the flimsy catch on her bra. Her breasts tumbled free and he cupped each one, running his thumbs over the purpling, puckered nipples. She moaned as she arched back. He couldn’t resist a taste and nipped the right one, lightly closing his lips around the swollen bud. Her hands fisted in his hair as he tenderly worshipped each breast. She was whimpered with wanton need as he licked and suckled on her. Her whole body shuddered as he brought her fully to orgasm.   
  
“Your lips, Patrick,” she cried. “They still do crazy things to me.”   
  
“I’m just getting started,” he whispered. He pressed her back onto the mattress and started leading a trail of kisses from the valley of her breasts to her navel. She moaned. He kept one hand on her right hip while reaching for one of the champagne glasses with the other. Her eyes went wide as she realized just what he was about to do.   
  
He slowly dribbled the champagne down her body. It pooled between her breasts and then spilled lower. He set aside the glass and started licking and feasting on her damp skin. He finally reached her panties with his tongue and licked her navel again before moving to suck on the curve of her right thigh. Her hands tugged on the roots of his dark hair as she lifted off the bed to allow him to yank down her moist panties. He lightly grazed the curls with his fingers and she moaned again.   
  
He swiftly brought her to orgasm once again and then she was looking up at him with hooded, smoky eyes. “Patrick…” She murmured. “Your pants…”   
  
“Good point,” he said. His bulging erection was impossible to ignore considering the way it was straining against the dark fabric.   
  
Robin smiled and sat up, pushing him down on the mattress this time. She went to work tugging down his trousers and boxers too. She reached out and grasped his manhood, giving it a full-fisted pump. His member jerked in her hand and she smiled still wider.   
  
He ached with the desire to be inside of her again. She straddled his legs and then reached over him to grab a condom off of the dresser. Her breasts dangled enticingly in his face and he reared up to nip one gently. She laughed and tensed with desire too.   
  
She then shredded the wrapper and sheathed his engorged manhood with one swift movement. She sunk down on him and he came off the bed to meet her. His hands found the globes of her ass and he held onto them, stroking each cheek softy as she rocked against him. Her nails nipped into the skin of his shoulders as he thrust in and out of her. She took him deep inside of her and clamped down on him, riding him, her breasts pressed up against his chest.   
  
Patrick’s gaze never wavered from hers and soon enough, he saw her eyes silently pleading with him to end this exquisite torture. He understood that she needed a release. He did as well. He slammed into her once more and then they were careening over the edge of pleasure together.   
  
She collapsed atop him. There was a light sheen of sweat on their bodies now and their breaths came out sounding heavy and ragged. Robin rested her head against his chest, listening to his racing heartbeat for a long time. When she did look up, she met his eyes. A tear slid down her cheek.   
  
He gently wiped it away. “Hey, what’s wrong, Robin?”   
  
She shook her head. “Absolutely nothing. It’s all so wonderful, a dream come true. Tell me this wonderful feeling will always last.”   
  
He nodded and kissed her lightly on the lips. “It’s going to last forever.”   
  
“Forever,” she agreed and then snuggled against him, drifting off into the most peaceful sleep of her life, right there, safe in his strong arms. 


End file.
